Preview: 2011 Chevy Cruze Eco

GM says the Eco can achieve 4.6 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway, a figure that Natural Resources Canada endorses.

PHOTO: Handout photo, NP

By Howard J. Elmer, National Post

Originally published: November 17, 2010

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Los Angeles • Chevrolet’s new Cruze is a fuel-efficient vehicle, what with engine choices of less than two litres in size, with an available turbocharger. So, it’s already a car that’s a logical choice for drivers looking to save a buck on gas. But, apparently, that wasn’t enough for General Motors engineers. Like the rabid “hyper-milers” out there, they decided to see if they could also stretch a litre of gas — but without resorting to hybrid engineering. Instead, they took a serious look at what’s called “aero” management.

The result is the 2011 Cruze Eco — a version of the Cruze that spent more than 500 hours in a wind tunnel, gathering data that would be the basis for the slipperiest body add-ons possible — all in the name of saving fuel. The result? Well, GM says the Eco can achieve 4.6 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway, a figure that Natural Resources Canada endorses.

These are some of the things the engineers came up with to hit that highway number — a set of shutters behind the grille air intake that close at higher speed (which reduces drag), a full underbody covering to smooth airflow and a lowered front air dam and a mini rear deck spoiler, both of which manage airflow. The wheels have been changed to ultra-low-rolling-resistance rubber and low-weight alloy rims. As a result of these aero enhancements, drag has been reduced by 10% in comparison to a non-Eco model. For the techy types, that equates to a drag coefficient of just 0.298, a number that places the Cruze at the top of the class for mainstream compact cars.

But, to hit segment-leading fuel economy, the Cruze Eco’s engineers also improved mass optimization (a fancy way of saying the car dropped weight). More than 42 changes were made to the Eco, reducing its mass to 1,365 kilograms from 1,462 kg. While that might not seem like much, how it was achieved is fascinating. The diet program looked at all aspects of the vehicle’s construction, including hundreds of weld flanges. These were then reduced to two millimetres in length from three millimetres, which saved several kilograms. Even sheetmetal gauge thickness was reduced by about 0.1 mm in select components. Also changed were the tires, rims and some plastics.

Now, at this point in most fuel efficiency stories, there would be talk about an elaborate hybrid electric powertrain — but that’s where the Eco is different. This Cruze is powered by the turbocharged Ecotec 1.4-litre four-cylinder and a standard six-speed manual transmission. The engine is the exact same as in the non-Eco model. So, all the fuel savings benefits come from “other” technologies. This includes the transmission’s gearing, which has been optimized to work with the Eco’s 17-inch wheel/tire combination. Lastly, a highly efficient, “taller” sixth-gear ratio has been added for highway driving.

Having driven the Eco around downtown Los Angeles, I paid special attention to the shift indicator in the gauge cluster. This flashing light tells the driver when to shift for maximum efficiency — it’s not really anything new. However, it occurred to me that the light can flash all it wants to — it’s up to me to shift, so how much fuel I save is really my decision.

Frankly, it’s hard to save fuel when the engine makes 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque over a wide rpm range (1,850 rpm to 4,900 rpm). This car is tight, light and zippy. Keeping the revs up, I found it fun to tear around the mean streets of L.A. After all, the Cruze shares a lot of commonality with the European Opel Astra, which is also a nimble car. After a few blocks, however, I settled down and started to consider that if owning an Eco version of the Cruze is about saving fuel, I would have to get more involved with my power management. And that’s a message Blaine Heavener, lead development engineer on the Cruze, wants to stress. “With the Eco, we’ve done a lot of work to make it slice through the air,” he says, “but when it comes to engine management, even if we highlight where the shifting sweet spots are, we can’t make drivers do it.”

What Heavener advocates is personal responsibility — being involved and being really conscientious of how we drive. If owners want to hit the Eco’s advertised fuel economy, they are going to have to participate. Who knows, this might just spark a return to manual transmissions, which has an added bonus – it’s hard to text while shifting!

Chevrolet says the Cruze Eco’s highway fuel economy easily beats out non-hybrid segment competitors such as the Honda Civic and Ford Fiesta. As for hybrid models, the Eco is claimed to be better than the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid. While this marketing bluster is fine, I found a more valuable message. Looking at the vehicles named, I see that many of the electric/gas hybrid models cost as much as $8,000 more than the $19,495 (base price) Eco.

The Eco can be ordered now, although cars won’t start arriving at dealerships until January.